eastendersfandomcom-20200215-history
Episode 1557 (7 January 1998)
Synopsis It's the crack of dawn and Ian is up tapping away on his PC. Lucy helps herself to some milk and Ian goes to find out what's going on. He wakes Mary and tells her she is supposed to be looking after the kids and it's her job to wake up if they need something, not to let them roam about by themselves. Ian says they are out of milk and Mary says the milkman won't have come yet, and Ian goes to the shop to get some. At the same time Alex is waking up in Kathy's bed and he sneaks out of her bed and house without waking her. He leaves and stops in his tracks as he spots Ian across the Square. He sneaks into his own house and Jeff surprises him by being already awake. Alex looks guilty and Jeff jokingly tells him off for staying out all night at wild parties, and asks where he was. Alex lies there was an emergency at the refuge. Pat phones Kathy up as she's overslept. Kathy is in a panic and says she had a hard night but she will be at the café as soon as she has taken Ben to nursery. She finds Alex's cross necklace in her bed, and takes it with her. She stops by Ian's, and he berates her for not asking him how his meeting with Nick went, and she says she has a lot on her mind at the moment. He says he has too, and it didn't go well, and he is sure Nick has something up his sleeve. He arranges to see his solicitor at very short notice later to discuss it. Nick tells Cindy about his meeting with Ian, and says it's obvious he still loves her, poor sod, and it might come in useful later on. Nick also mentions he would like to see the boys too, and Cindy puts him off, saying some other day. Nick says that doesn't stop him dropping her off though, and she agrees. Grant wakes up in the living room on the sofa again when Peggy comes in to tidy up. She complains about the smell, asking Grant if he's taken to wearing his socks two days in a row again. She complains about him leaving his trousers on the floor and with loose change in the pocket, but then notices an eternity ring there too. She tells him he'd be better off sorting out his marriage first, like sleeping in the same bed for a start. Grant says that's not up to him, and tells her to mind her own business about the ring. Kathy goes round to Alex's where he's sitting in alone reading a bible and he hesitates before answering the door so long that she posts the cross through the letter box. She finally gets to the café, where Jeff is chatting to Pat. She asks why he can't get breakfast at home, and he says that Alex was up all night rescuing fallen women and was in a terrible mood this morning. Kathy looks a bit embarrassed, and Pat sees her and says at least here is someone who got a good night's sleep. Ian sees Alex talking to the architect in the Square and asks what is going on. Alex introduces the architect, saying he is doing the plans for the conversion. Ian asks if this is a joke, and Alex says he asked what was going on, so... Ian says there are elections in May and when he is on the council, he will put a stop to the planning permission. Alex smiles and says that the hostel will have been running for a couple of months by then, so he doesn't think he will have much luck, so why not bury the hatchet. Ian tells the architect nastily that he will be going over the plans with a fine tooth comb and if so much as a plug socket breaks building regulations he will object. Nigel corners Alex in the Square, because he is looking around for some help with Clare's school play. The school had a burst pipe and the play was cancelled, but Nigel had the idea of holding it in the church hall, with Alex's assistance, and making it a whole community project, so maybe Alex could be Prince Albert? Alex tells him that he's done plays before, and the most difficult thing is finding the behind-the-scenes help, like costumes and director, so maybe he should get a committee sorted first. Mary is chatting with Conor over coffee and chocolate biscuits in the kitchen when Ian comes home. She looks guilty and says before he says anything, she has sorted out the kids, done the washing and hoovered the house, and this is the first time she has sat down all day. He says he wasn't going to say anything, except he'll be out this afternoon seeing his solicitor, so not to expect him back on time. He adds as he leaves, go easy on the chocolate biscuits, don't think I haven't noticed. He reminds Mary that Cindy will be there this afternoon, and remember all the usual rules - don't leave her alone with the kids. Conor and Mary look at each other and laugh when he's gone, and Mary says "Do you believe me now about him?" Ian goes to the solicitor who is smug and tells him that he has a watertight case and nothing will go wrong tomorrow, and that Nick was just trying to rattle him and that's it, see you tomorrow. Ian objects, but the solicitor tells him he has seen him at very short notice and is very busy and shows him the door. Tiffany asks Grant why they don't have computerised stock control, and says the pub is in the stone ages. He replies that Peggy does the books and she says she is too old to learn about computers. Tiffany says maybe, but I'm not. Grant mentions to Peggy that Tiffany seems keen to start involving herself more in the business, like the books, and Peggy at first refuses, saying Tiffany knows nothing about it. Grant points out that she didn't either when she started, and how will Tiffany learn if she never gets a chance? He says "Give her a chance, for my sake?" George comes in to see Peggy, and tells her he will have a lot more time to spend with her now he has handed over financial control of his businesses to Annie. So, he offers to take her shopping that afternoon to celebrate. She says she'll never turn down a chance to shop, and Grant reminds her that she is supposed to be doing the quarterly books. Peggy talks to Tiffany and asks her if she'd like to start helping out more with the business side of the pub. Tiffany asks what changed her mind, and did Grant put her up to it. Peggy says that it's because of George, but admits that Grant may have mentioned something. Tiffany goes off and gives Grant a big kiss as a thank you. Phil gets approval for his loan, and sees Annie, who tells him that things have moved on since then and she now has as much money as she needs and will finance it herself. Phil objects, and she points out the rate of interest that he will be charged on the loan, compared with her using the money she has. Phil insists, saying he wants to be equal partners, regardless. Michael discovers that schools have gone back and his son is lying when he said his school had burst pipes and was closed. He confronts him, and Matthew says that he's learning much more selling records on the market than he does at school. Michael tells him to pack up his stall and get back to school. Cindy arrives and chats to Mary again. She says the kids want chocolate biscuits, and Mary discovers there are only two left. Cindy says "Never mind, they can go without." Mary says no, she'll go and get some more, it will only take a minute. She dashes out and as she crosses the square, Ian drives up. He can't believe he just saw Mary, and dashes home to find Nick waiting outside the house in his car and Cindy alone inside. He is furious that they could have just taken the kids off, and Mary dashes back to find Ian fuming. He says what were the last words he said to her this morning? She admits it and says she was only gone a minute. He says it was long enough for anyone to bundle kids into a car, and she's fired, so she can get out right now. He tells Cindy she had better leave too, and when she argues, he insists. Cindy leaves, almost in tears. Mary says angrily he's a nasty man, and leaves. She goes to Conor and turns on the waterworks, saying Ian was nasty to her. Conor goes round there and beats on the door and shouts at Ian, and when he's let in, he grabs him by the throat and pushes him up against the wall holding him up by his neck. He tells Ian he's a bully and people who treat young girls like that are cowards, and if he ever talks to her like that again he will be eating hospital food for a month. Pauline and Mark look after Mary, and Pauline takes her off to the café, telling Kathy that her nasty son has done this. Kathy asks how Ian is and is furious when Pauline tells her Conor is giving him a piece of his mind. She and Mark go over to prevent any more physical damage. Conor leaves, telling Kathy that Ian needs psychiatric help, or else a personality transplant. Kathy goes to Ian's and finds him in tears saying he has lost everything, and he knows Cindy will get the kids now. Credits Main cast *Ian Beale - Adam Woodyatt *Lucy Beale - Casey Anne Rothery *Mary Flaherty - Melanie Clark Pullen *Alex Healy - Richard Driscoll *Jeff Healy - Leslie Schofield *Pat Evans - Pam St. Clement *Kathy Mitchell - Gillian Taylforth *Cindy Beale - Michelle Collins *Grant Mitchell - Ross Kemp *Peggy Mitchell - Barbara Windsor *Nigel Bates - Paul Bradley *Conor Flaherty - Seán Gleeson *Tiffany Mitchell - Martine McCutcheon *Phil Mitchell - Steve McFadden *Annie Palmer - Nadia Sawalha *George Palmer - Paul Moriarty *Michael Rose - Russell Floyd *Matthew Rose - Joe Absolom *Mark Fowler - Todd Carty *Pauline Fowler - Wendy Richard Guest cast * Nick Holland - Dominic Taylor Category:Episode Category:1998 Episodes Category:Episodes outside of broadcast patterns